One of our esteemed AWE Board Members, Karen R. Johnson, passed away on June 5, 2016. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, caring mentor, and dear friend to many.
Karen was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary’s Law School, and she served in many roles throughout her forty-year career opening doors to young women serving as a “first” in leadership positions, including President of the Travis County Bar Association (first elected woman) and Executive Director of the State Bar of Texas (first woman chosen). She was also a member of the Texas State Bar Board of Directors (serving on the Executive Committee), special assistant in the Texas Governor’s Office, Assistant Comptroller for Bob Bullock (holding many leadership positions in that office), President of Entergy Texas, Executive Director and CEO of United Way of Texas, and CEO of Power Across Texas. She served as a board member for many professional organizations including the Electric Power Research Institute, Power Across Texas, Texas State History Museum Foundation, Care International, Global Impact, and of course, our own, Association of Women in Energy.
To say she was a trail blazer and an empowered leader is an understatement. Her laugh, her smile, her quick wit, and her eager willingness to serve others, in both her professional and personal life, will be greatly missed. Though words cannot express our sense of loss in the passing of our friend, we all have many great memories of her, and we know that Heaven has opened its doors to another great Texan.